Fiber Arts this Saturday 1/27

The Fiber Arts group (knitting, crochet, hand work, etc.) meets the 4th Saturday each month from 10am-noon in Hadley Hall.

All skill levels are welcome and no commitment is needed. Just drop in when you can and enjoy the company and crafting. We hope you'll join us!

UCC Special Offering

January 21st - 31st

for The Christmas Fund

“Grace upon Grace.” John 1:16

HCC will be receiving donations for this UCC Special Offering from January 21st through January 31st. This offering cares for active and retired clergy and lay employees of the UCC by providing emergency grants and other help to those struggling.

Please watch the video above to see how important this offering can be.

Click HERE to watch video.

Please send or drop off donations and earmark them for this purpose.

Thank you, as always, for your generosity for these important mission opportunities.

Worship This Week in Hadley Hall

Please join us

in Hadley Hall

or online at 10am for the

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Coffee hour will be held

after the service

in the Sanctuary.

The service will be live streamed

through Facebook Live here

or on 3CX here

Reader: Fred Malcolm

Coffee hour host: Bill & Nancy Cheyne

artwork: "Winter Moose" © Pat Willems

www.ministryofthehearts.org. Used with permission.

Farewell Celebration for

Pastor Kathy

Join us on Sunday, February 4th in Hadley Hall from 2-4pm for a farewell celebration to honor Reverend Kathy Youzwak as she begins a new journey. Drop in and wish her well. Her final worship service with HCC will be that morning. We hope you can join us.

HCC Annual Meeting

February 11th, 11am

Our 271st Annual Meeting will be held in Hadley Hall on February 11, 2024, following worship. Please attend this vital gathering, as we look back at this past year’s accomplishments and look ahead to God’s call in our congregational life this year. A quorum of members is needed.

The annual report will be e-mailed/mailed to each member family by the end of this week.

Please take some time to read the reports and familiarize yourself with the proposed budget for 2024.

Worship that morning will be led by the Rev. Gordon Rankin, Conference Minister for New Hampshire. Mark your calendars and please plan to attend.

Hampstead 275th Celebration

Hampstead's 275th Anniversary Celebration was a great success this weekend! Held in our Sanctuary, the historical retrospective brought us back to the early days of Hampstead and what life was like in the beginning of our town.

Audrey Stuck-Girard, Lois Chase’s granddaughter, portraying a colonial woman from the 1700's and reading the historical perspective.

Rob Morris, President of the Hampstead Historical Society & Ginny Morris' son.

Julian Malcolm, Terri & Fred's grandson, reading the original Town Charter.

NHUCC Prepared to Serve 2024

Registration Now Open

Prepared to Serve is back, and we're ready to take your learning experience to new heights! This annual event, proudly organized by the New Hampshire Conference UCC, is dedicated to equipping our congregations with invaluable tools and resources to empower your local faith communities.

What's New in 2024:

Pathways for Deep Learning: This year, we're introducing an exciting feature – Pathways. These are extended courses that span 3 or 4 workshop blocks, delving deeper into specific topics. Each Pathway builds on the previous one, offering a comprehensive exploration of your chosen subject.

Hybrid Participation: We understand that not everyone can join us in person. That's why we're thrilled to offer a new hybrid experience. You can now attend "Prepared to Serve" from the comfort of your own space. The hybrid option includes captivating panel discussions during each workshop block, covering a diverse range of topics sure to peak your interest.

Revised Pricing: We have tried to make our pricing more affordable to families and youth. Because of this we have created a $100 family cap for any family with 3 or more family members and given youth a 50% discounted rate of $25.

Event Highlights:

Four Workshop Blocks: Each lasting 75 minutes, giving you the flexibility to attend up to 4 workshops or 3 workshops if you prefer to take a break for lunch.

Panel Discussions: Engage with our dynamic panelists who will delve into thought-provoking topics. You'll also have the chance to ask them questions, making these discussions interactive and insightful.

Theme: Building upon our 2023 Annual Meeting theme, "Turning the Tables," we're committed to providing your congregations with the tools to act on the Annual Meeting charge to turn tables and "Create new Tables."

Prepared to Serve 2024 is your opportunity to expand your knowledge, connect with like-minded individuals, and take-home resources that will enrich your congregational experience.

Click HERE to Register.

A Word from Peace & Justice

There was an article about renewable energy requirements for New Hampshire electricity providers in In DepthNew Hampshire recently. In 2008 the legislature passed a renewable portfolio standard for electric utilities. It included an escalating percentage of energy generated by renewable sources in their power supplies. It started in 2008 at 4% and is currently at 23.4% with a maximum requirement of 25% for 2025.

Sounds pretty good, but how does it compare to the other New England states? Not too favorably actually. Rhode Island will require 100% by 2033, Connecticut will require 100% by 2040 and Maine will reach that goal by 2050. Vermont requires 75% renewable sourcing by 2032, but a bill this session will change that to 100% by 2030. Massachusetts law requires zero carbon emissions by 2050.

New Hampshire is way out of the norm in New England. Furthermore, the funds earned through the carbon offset auction for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative goes to ratepayers rather than encouraging greater renewable energy production as the other states do. 

Additionally, the transmission system is not been upgraded to handle the renewable resources volume of power they can produce. So they are offline most of the time. So far the largest renewable energy generator is the Granite Reliable Windfarm in Millsfield and Dixville which produces 99 megawatts. But 55 percent of that goes to Vermont because the transmission line network in the area is not large enough. And there are more examples like this.

Now, this session, our legislature wants to put Seabrook Station in the mix which could leave it with most of the state’s renewable energy certificates. 

See the full article.

Music Corner by Herb Tardiff

Early in the 20th century, American music really took off as its own genre with the development of movies with sound. Staged musicals were also in vogue as Americans enjoyed relative prosperity before the Great Recession. Many of the great American composers took advantage of these opportunities to compose some of our most cherished masterpieces.

One such composer was Harold Arlen born Hymen Arluck, the son of a synagogue cantor, born in Buffalo, New York on February 15, 1905. He emerged as one of the greatest of all American composers and songwriters known for writing extraordinarily complex melodies and harmonies that somehow remained accessible to a broad popular audience. By age 7, he was singing in his father’s synagogue choir and by age 15 he had become a professional pianist and entertainer in nightclubs and lake steamers. 

Some of Arlen’s film credits include:

• The Wizard of Oz,
• Let’s Fall In Love
• Blues In the Night
• Star Spangled Rhythm
• Cabin In the Sky
• Up in Arms
• Kismet
• My Blue Heaven 
• Gay Purr-ee
• Down Among the Sheltering Palms and 
• A Star is Born.

Steeple Lighting

Steeple Lit

in loving memory of

George Mine

Forever in our hearts.

The Psarris Family

New Hampshire Conference UCC Weekly News

We thought you might enjoy reading the NH Conference UCC weekly newsletter. You can read it with this link.

1/23/2024 Newsletter

Each week, we will update this section of our Weekly Word with the new link

for the current newsletter.

St. Anne's Food Pantry

The pantry is currently in need of the following:

• Coffee
• Large bottles of juice
• Spam
• Salad dressings
• Sugar free items
• Cereal
• All Condiments

Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall

Please, no expired items.

Thank you for all your support!